Commentary: Farmers are the ultimate Survivor

I was flipping channels last night and ran across the newest version of the Survivor-type shows.

You all know what I’m talking about—those series where a group of people are cast on an isolated island or the middle of the jungle with nothing but the clothes on their back.

This newest series is different than Survivor, whose new season kicks off fairly soon. Called Naked and Afraid, a man and woman are cast away, buck naked, in a remote location. That’s right. No clothes. It is a bit awkward…and challenging for the crew to film.

All the front view is blurred out, thank goodness. The rear view isn’t…more buns here than a hamburger cookout on the Fourth of July.

Anyway, all this got me thinking about a new Survivor series.

Participants are placed on a large tract of land.

They must procure seed, fertilizer and pesticides.

They must have the skills of an agronomist, businessman and mechanic.

They align with the soil. They play against Mother Nature.

She challenges them with drought. She hits them with flooding rains, high winds and hail.

If that’s not enough, she’ll send in hordes of insects. Or challenge the players with diseases and blights.

The players must juggle all the adversity and plant seed, tend the crop and bring it to harvest.

Then another challenge ensues. They must overcome environmentalists, government regulators and foreign governments to sell their crop at a profit.

The players may not come out on top every year, but they’re always eager to come back the next.

So who wins this drama, played out locally every day across the nation? You. Me. All of us who enjoy the security of three meals a day.

The series is called Farmer.

It doesn’t get a lot of publicity. Only a select few are qualified to play. And participants keep their clothes on.